christopher price

Ten questions for the Patriots at the midway point of the offseason

We are just past the midway point of the NFL offseason, and with the major team-building events (the draft, free agency) already come and gone, the Patriots still have questions to deal with between now and the start of the 2012 regular season. With the understanding that these are issues most teams would kill for, here are 10 things for the Patriots to address between now and opening day against Tennessee:

How many wide receivers can one team carry? The Patriots loaded up with defensive linemen before the start of the 2011 season, sifted through who could play and who couldn’t, and left those who couldn’t by the side of the road. It made for a rocky start to the season as the group learned how to play together, but it all came together in the end. New England is doing the same thing at the wide receiver spot this offseason, picking up some familiar faces (Donte Stallworth, Jabar Gaffney) and some intriguing old faces (Brandon Lloyd, Anthony Gonzalez) to go along with a returning cast of characters (Wes Welker, Deion Branch and Chad Ochocinco). Look for at least one veteran to be let go before the start of the season.

What to do with Ochocinco? The wide receiver is doing so he has a more team-friendly contract, and according to a source, has been a regular participant in offseason workouts at Gillette Stadium. But will it be enough? The veteran will have to have a very good offseason and camp if he wants to be part of a deep receiving corps.

What does the future hold for Brian Waters? Nothing official has been announced regarding the veteran right guard, and he wasn’t among the group spotted at OTA’s on Tuesday. (That’s not to say he wasn’t there -- we’ll get a better idea when we are allowed to watch practice on Thursday.) There are some short-term options (Robert Gallery has some positional versatility, and Ryan Wendell and Dan Connolly have proven worthy backups), but even if Waters does come back for 2012, the Patriots need to start grooming a long-term replacement at the right guard spot.

Who is going to take over as the lead back now that BenJarvus Green-Ellis is gone? Green-Ellis was a perfect fit for the New England system: cost-efficient, never fumbled, always hit four yards a carry and was fairly durable. In his place, the Patriots will look to a combination of backs, but it will be second-year running back Stevan Ridley who will get every opportunity to lead the way. That’s not to say that the others won’t get their touches -- and you shouldn’t pencil in Ridley for 250-plus carries -- but he’ll be the closest thing to a lead back that the Patriots have to start the season.

How do you replace Mark Anderson and (possibly) Andre Carter? While there’s the possibility that Carter will return, New England will look to a variety of defensive players to pick up the pressure, including Rob Ninkovich and newcomer Trevor Scott, who could become one of the most important pickups of the season. Then, there’s Jonathan Fanene, who should be able to give the Patriots something they’ve lacked since Mike Wright was healthy -- an interior pass rushing presence. In addition, rookies Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower will also be asked to provide depth.

Where will Devin McCourty play? McCourty told the Boston Herald that he’s working at both corner and safety in preparation for the 2012 season, and so there’s the very real likelihood we’ll see him do what he did at the end of the 2011 season -- bouncing between safety and corner. But he will be part of a secondary that suddenly has plenty of versatile bodies, including Sterling Moore, Steve Gregory and Tavon Wilson, all of whom can play either corner or safety. (Some of McCourty’s playing time will be decided on the development of both Gregory and corner Ras-I Dowling. If either one struggles with the system, look for McCourty to see a bump in playing time at that spot.)

Which one of the rookies will have the greatest impact? Based on his overall knowledge of the system (he ran with Nick Saban in a similar defense at Alabama), his already impressive resume and his positional versatility, the best bet is Hightower. That’s not to say that one day, Chandler Jones won’t have a greater impact. It’s just that right now, Hightower appears to be the most pro-ready of the draft picks. With Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, Rob Ninkovich and Dane Fletcher (among others) on the roster, it should present Belichick with an interesting set of options at linebacker.

Will there be any long-term injury problems with Rob Gronkowski and Carter? Not likely. Gronkowski’s mobility does bear watching, but the high-ankle sprain he suffered in the playoffs last season should be a thing of the past at this stage. Ditto for Carter, who suffered a season-ending calf injury in December that left him sidelined for the postseason. The biggest concern is whether or not Carter can replicate a dynamite 2011 season. Both sides would like for Carter to return in 2012, but it looks like that decision is still a ways away.

Can Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez build on their phenomenal 2011 season? No reason to think they won’t -- especially because they’re two of them -- but it’s fascinating to see the overall evolution of defenses as they struggle to try and find an answer to some of the great young tight ends in the league like Gronkowski, Hernandez, Jimmy Graham, Jermichael Finley, Owen Daniels and Jermaine Gresham. More teams are looking for those bigger, faster safeties in hopes of creating a “big nickel” package and slowing down the tight ends. We’ll see if it works.

Will the changes on the coaching staff affect the roster? While most of the moves the Patriots made were in-house (like giving Matt Patricia the official title of defensive coordinator, or moving Pepper Johnson from defensive line to linebackers), there are a handful of changes that could have an impact on continuity. That means the players and coaches have to take full advantage of the spring workouts -- the minicamps and the rest of the offseason activities -- to try and build a foundation of familiarity before training camp opens in July.

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